Field
Methods and apparatuses consistent with example embodiments relate to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a terminal device including a reference voltage circuit driven by ultra-low power by using a sub-threshold current.
Related Art
Applications where energy consumption is a key metric have been developed. Such energy-constrained applications may require low activity rates and low speeds. Also, these applications may require a long battery life span (for example, one year or more). For example, energy consumption may be a concern for a sensor implanted in a living subject and that provides location information.
Location information provided by such a sensor may be provided to a remote device, such as a server over a communication network. The remote device may estimate a location of the living subject based on the location information provided by the sensor. In particular, when the sensor is implanted in an animal, an internal battery may provide driving power and the sensor has to be continually turned-on. Thus, a method of minimizing the driving power of the sensor is required.